Ascend Presentations Expert Consultant Network

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Jessiee Datino is the Senior Communication Consultant in Ascend Presentations' Training Network, helping leaders and teams communicate with clarity, confidence, and impact, especially when the stakes are high. With 20+ years of experience spanning professional performance, higher education, and facilitation, Jessiee blends practical structure with presence-based coaching so clients can simplify complex ideas, strengthen executive presence, and deliver messages that land.

Jessiee's background as a professional actress gives her a distinctive edge in coaching presence, vocal delivery, and audience connection under pressure. Jessiee has briefed and coached leaders across defense and intelligence organizations, including NASIC, NSIC, and Space Force, and has been credited with supporting $20 million or more in bid wins for clients such as WGI, Inc. 

Jessiee has earned 200+ five-star reviews from clients across industries including higher education, retail, financial services, and insurance, and her engagements frequently generate direct referrals from C-suite leaders who request her by name.

Jessiee supports clients preparing for executive briefings, high-visibility presentations, stakeholder conversations, and team communication moments where credibility matters. Her coaching focuses on message clarity, storytelling and sequencing, vocal and nonverbal delivery, audience connection, and calm composure under pressure.

Jessiee is also expanding her practice into Data Storytelling, helping technical and analytical teams turn data into narratives that drive decisions. 

Diana Brittain is a Senior Communication & Leadership Development Consultant in Ascend Presentations' Training Network. For over 20 years, Diana has specialized in translating complex ideas into clear, compelling messages that keep senior audiences engaged and decision ready. She prepares leaders, technical experts, and team leads for the moments that decide outcomes, boardroom updates, client escalations, investor pitches, and high-pressure Q&A.

Diana was ranked 11th in the World in Toastmasters International's World Championship of Public Speaking, competing among roughly 30,000 contestants worldwide. She has developed a proprietary training methodology that grounds her coaching in structure and repeatability, giving clients tools they can rely on long after a session ends. 

Diana's client work includes Reed Smith LLP, one of the world's largest global law firms, where her communication training for technical presenters led to a confirmed repeat engagement.

Diana's work is practical and rehearsal-driven: message architecture, openings that land, delivery that holds attention, and repeatable strategies for handling tough questions and resistance without getting derailed. She also brings an emotionally intelligent, scenario-based approach, drawing on her work creating emotional intelligence programs since 2004, helping clients read the room, stay composed under pressure, and communicate with calm authority. 

Diana's coaching spans both foundational presentation and public speaking skills and broader leadership development, making her a fit for teams at every stage of their communication growth.

Paul Ricci is a Senior Technical Communication Consultant in Ascend Presentations' Training Network, helping executives and technical leaders turn complex technology, data, and strategy into clear narratives that drive decisions and action. With more than 30 years in technology leadership, Paul brings the perspective of both an enterprise architect and a leader of high-performing architecture teams across applications, DevOps, infrastructure, and cloud. 

Paul's approach helps guide technical professionals move beyond simply presenting information to communicating what matters: connecting technical complexity to business priorities, financial impact, risk, and measurable outcomes.

Paul has advised and coached teams on initiatives ranging from $1 million projects to complex, multi-year programs exceeding $100 million annually, and understands what it takes to communicate high-stakes recommendations to senior leaders, shape technical strategy and business proposals, and build confidence in a proposed course of action.

Paul's approach combines technical credibility with executive communication: identifying the critical objective, distilling complex data into meaningful insights, structuring a persuasive story, and communicating with calm, fact-based confidence under pressure.

Paul holds a bachelor's degree in computer information systems and an MBA with an emphasis on finance and technology. His career spans telecommunications, retail, and financial services, plus 10 years owning an investment firm — giving him a distinctive ability to bridge technology, business, and financial perspectives.